Cleese also disclosed the inspiration behind another famous scene, in which Basil Fawlty and put-upon waiter Manuel attempt to conceal the body of a guest who died overnight.

In real life, Cleese said, he had been told it was a major problem for upmarket hotels, where: "Old ladies who'd outlived everyone and didn't want to go on, would check in with a bottle of pills because they knew the hotel would handle everything with discretion."